Anifah suggests a CM-led task force - The Star

He said the Chief Minister must chair the committee as it was the only “constitutional way” forward to resolve the long-standing problem.

“The Deputy Prime Minister could sit in as a patron of such a committee,” said Anifah.

He said a Royal Commission of Inquiry or Parliamentary Select Committee could not constitutionally address the issue.

He said that under the Constitution, immigration matters in Sabah and Sarawak come under the purview of the respective chief ministers.

Anifah’s statements come in the light of arguments by some Sabah leaders who have called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the complex problem.

Some are calling for a Royal Commission to probe claims that foreigners had obtained Malaysian citizenship through the backdoor and that was reflected in an abnormal rise in Sabah’s population.

Among the reasons why they wanted an inquiry was to investigate allegations that MyKads were issued under an alleged government-sponsored project dubbed Project IC that came to light during the Likas polls petition case in 1999.